Method and means for improving the rendition of musical compositions



T. A. EDISON.

METHOD AND MEANS FOR IMPROVING THE RENDIIION 0F MUSICAL COMPOSITIONS.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. I7. 1916.

1,323,218, Patented Nov. 25, I919.

baa-M 2 W 7 W% UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS A. EDISON, F LLEWELLYN-PARK, WEST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO NEW JERSEY PATENT COMPANY, OF WEST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

METHOD AND MEANS FOR IMPROVING THE REND ITION OF MUSICAL COMPOSITIONS.

. To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS A. EDISON, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident of Llewellyn Park, West Orange, Essex county, New J ersey,'have invented a certain new and useful Method and Means for Improving the Rendition of Musical Compositions, of which'the following is a description.

My invention relates to the rendering of musical compositions by a pluraltiy of players, such as an orchestra, and the object thereof'ls to provide a method and means the result that the'renditions by t rendering such performance disagreeable and unpleasant to listen to. In order to overcome this objection, I propose to provide the orchestra, preferably in addition to the usual leader or conductor who gives the tempo, with a master artist or player,

who may be termed the pitch leader, to play any composition which is being played by the orchestra. The rendition of the master artist is acoustically, and preferably separately, transmitted to each player of a stringed instrument in the orchestra in any desired manner, but preferably by tele phonic means, the transmitted rendition serving as a guide to each such playerto enable him to maintain his own rendition exactly to the pitch thereof. The rendition of the master artist is preferably transmitted to only one ear of each player of a stringed instrument in the orchestra, the other ear of each such player being left free to hear his own instruments The rendition of the master artist is preferably augmented or amplified in any suitable manner beforereaching each of the players of the stringed instruments, the amplification being such that the rendition by the master artist will appear louder to Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 25, 1919.

Application, filed January 17, 1916. Serial No. 72,423.

each such player than any other instrument in the orchestra and also preferably louder than his own instrument. Consequently, as each player of a stringed instrument in the orchestra hears-loudly only the rendition of the master artist, he will at once notice if he is out of pitch with the masterartist and consequently is enabled toreadily maintain his own. rendition exactly to the pitch of the rendition of the master artist.

In order that my invention may be more clearly understood, attention is directed to the drawing accompanying and forming a part of this specification, and in which the single figure shows diagrammatically an orchestra and means whereby my invention may be carried out.

Referring to the drawing, reference character 1 represents a stage or other suitable setting for an orchestra, the playersof the stringed instruments in the orchestra being represented diagrammatically by reference characters a, a, a, etc. The usual conductor or leader who gives the tempo to the players in the orchestra. during the rendition of a telephone transmitter 3 which is connected to the conductors 4: and 5 of a circuit provided with a suitable source of current, such as a battery 6. A plurality of telephone receivers, corresponding in number to the num- 'ber of players a of stringed instruments in the orchestra, are respectively connected in parallel with the conductors 4 and 5 by means of a plurality of pairs of conductors 8 and 9. A suitable switch 10 may be employed for controlling the main circuit.

Each receiver 7 is suitably supported, as

by metns of a headband, not shown, against one ear only of a player 0,, the other ear of each player a being left free to hear his own instrument. Accordingly, one'ear of each player a is acoustically connected with the sound transmitter 3 and the sound collector or horn 2, and receives the rendition of the master artist or pitch leader during the orchestral performance of a musical composition. The rendition of the pitch leader C as transmitted to each player (1- is augmented or amplified, preferably by employing a microphone transmitter at 3, and the amplification is pieferably such that the rendition of the master artist as received by each player a will be approximately onethird louder than his own rendition. Accordingly, as hereinbefore described, each player of a stringed instrument in theorchestra is enabled to readily maintain his own rendition exactly to-the pitch of the rendition by the master artist.

\Vith my invention orchestral renditions of hitherto unapproachable purity may be obtained, as it is possible for the several players in the orchestra not only to keep in correct tempo, but also to readily maintain substantially perfect unison of pitch.

It is to be understood that my invention is subject to various changes and modifications in the means and method above described without departing from the spirit thereof. For example, it is Within the scope of my invention to employ other means than that shown and described herein for acoustically transmitting the rendition of the master artist to the players of the stringed instruments.

Having now described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is as follows 1. The method of enabling the maintenance of substantially uniform pitch in the joint rendition of a musical composition by a plurality of instrumental players, which consists in separately transmitting to each of said players while rendering said composi-' tion a single unblended rendition of such composition, substantially as described.

2. The method-of enabling the maintenance of substantially uniform pitch in the joint rendition of a musical composition by a plurality of instrumental players, which consists in transmitting to one ear of each of said players while rendering said composition a single rendition of such composition, excluding from said ear all the other renditions of the composition. and leaving the other ear of each player free to hear his own instrument, substantially as described.

3. The method of enabling the mainteter artist rendering nance of substantially uniform pitch in the a plurality of instrumental players, which consists in transmitting to each of said players vhile rendering said composition an unblended rendition of such composition by a single master artist, substantially as described.

5. The method of enabling the maintenance of substantially uniform pitch in the joint rendition of a musical composition by a plurality of instrumental players, which consists in transmitting to each of said players while rendering said composition a single unblended rendition of such composition, and augmenting the said transmitted rendition so that the latter as received by any player will be louder than his own rendition, substantially as described.

6. The method of enabling the maintenance of substantially uniform pitch in the joint rendition of a musical composition by a plurality of instrumental players, which consists in separately transmitting to one ear only of each of said players during such joint rendition the unblended rendition of such composition by a master artist, and

tion of id master artist to thereby give a pitch guide to said players, substantially as described.

8. The method of rendering a. musical composition by a plurality of instrumental players, which consists in a leader or director giving the tempo to said players, a massaid composition, separately said players the rendition of said master artist to thereby give a pitch guide to such players, excluding from said ear all the other renditions of the composition, and leaving the other ear of each player free to hear his own rendition, substantially as described.

9. The method of rendering a musical composition by a plurality of instrumental players, which consists in a leader or director giving the tempo to said players, a master artist rendering said composition, separately transmitting to one ear only of each of said players the unblended rendition of said master artist to thereby give a pitch guide to such players, leaving the other car of each player free to hear his own rendition, and augmenting the transmitted renditransmitting to one ear of each of tion so that the latter as received by each player will be louder than his own rendition, substantially as described 10. The method of enabling the. maintenance of substantially uniform pitch in the joint rendition of a musical composition by a plurality of performers, which consists in transmitting to each of said performers while rendering said composition a single unblended rendition of such composition which as received by any performer will be louder than his own rendition. substantially as described. I

11. The method of enabling the maintenance of substantially uniform pitch in the joint rendition of a musical composition by a plurality of performers, which consists in transmitting to each of said performers 'While, rendering said composition a single unblended rendition of such composition which as received by any performer will be substantially one-third louder than his own rendition, substantially as described.

12. The method of enabling the maintenance of substantially uniform pitch in the joint rendition of a musical composition by a plurality of performers. which consists. in transmitting to each of said performers While rendering said composition a single unblended rendition of such composition which as received by any performer will be loiider than the rendition of any of the other performers as received by such performer, substantially as described.

13. The method of enabling the maintenance of substantially uniform pitch in the joint rendition of a musical composition by a plurality of performers. which consists in separately transmitting to each of said performers while rendering said composition a single unblcnded rendition of suclrcomposition. substantiall as described.

This specification signed and witnessed this 12th day of January. 1916.

THOS. A. EDISON: d'itncsses:

i l nlmiin it. HARDY, Fannnmen BACIIMANN. 

